


In The Farthest Corner

by AMidnightDreary



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambassador Tony Stark, Cultural Differences, Falling In Love, First Meeting, Fluff, Intersex Loki (Marvel), Jotunn Loki (Marvel), M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-06-25 22:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15650073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMidnightDreary/pseuds/AMidnightDreary
Summary: Being an ambassador on another planet isn't as exciting as you might think, so Tony spends his time exploring Jotunheim instead of dealing with politics.Something changes when he meets the oldest prince and decides that Loki is even more interesting than Jotunheim itself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yay, another one of my fluffy short stories!
> 
> Couldn't get this out of my head for weeks. It's already complete, but I haven't decided on where to set the cuts for the different chapters, so 3 is a lucky guess. The second part will be up next week.^^
> 
> I hope you enjoy the beginning! Let me know what you think! ^.^

 

 

> I will find you. In the farthest corner, I will find you.
> 
> Mary E. Pearson

 

 

The first time Tony sees him, he is on one of his exploration flights.

He's flying across Jotunheim's very own Grand Canyon, staring down at the vast ravines in stunned wonder. He can see a few rivers weaving their way through ice and stone, and here and there even one of those massive firs that are so rare outside of the deep woods of Jotunheim. All of it is dipped in the strangely cool and blue light of a sun that's so very different from the one Tony knows and still somehow similar enough to keep this planet alive.

Tony didn't expect much when he left Earth for Jotunheim, and he certainly didn't expect it to be beautiful. But it is, somehow, in a very feral kind of way. It's a harsh world, harsh and cold and unforgiving, but it's not dead. Sure, there's a lot of icy tundras that don't look like anything could survive in them, but there are also sprawling areas of woods and mountains that are brimming over with life. Everything is in the depths of winter, of course, that being the only season Jotunheim knows. Tony has never seen so much snow and ice in his life, let alone so many beings living in it.

He likes it. He has never cared much for nature, but this is different. It's so  _new_ , everything is unknown and breathtaking, and he is one of the first humans to experience it. He doesn't want to leave without seeing everything. It should be possible to explore everything in the few months he's staying, given the fact that Jotunheim is, all in all, a very small planet.

Fine, he spends a lot more time flying and wandering around than he should, but just because he's gotten a few lectures from Steve already he won't stop his explorations. This is too much of a chance to waste it. Besides, he promised Bruce some samples, and to keep that promise he needs to do some scouting.

It's all for science, really.

After a while of flying circles over the canyon, Tony decides to go lower. He has heard that this area is known for being the home of very big and very dangerous animals, and he isn't world-weary enough to mess with them. But still, the description he's heard made them sound like actual space dinosaurs, so taking a look at them would be pretty awesome. He keeps watch for them as he starts flying through one of the gorges.

He ends up spotting something else. Something far more interesting, anyway.

Tony catches a glimpse of something blue, first, which is nothing really remarkable. Blue is kind of this planet's favorite color, after all. But then he sees that that particular blue spot is moving, and he stops in mid air to investigate. He lets JARVIS zoom in on it, not daring to go much closer than he already is.

It's a Jotun. Tony's mouth falls open when he realizes that. A Jotun, climbing up the  _incredibly_ high wall made of fucking ice like it's nothing. Tony believes it's a he (actually, he still doesn't understand how the whole gender thing works on Jotunheim. Technically, they only have one gender, and at some point someone has apparently decided that gender is male. But now that Tony's on Jotunheim himself he's noticed that the Jötnar  _do_  differ in genders, Tony just hasn't understood yet exactly how. Anyway, he'll just go with  _he_ for now, because this Jotun has horns, albeit small ones, and the Jötnar he knows that don't identify as males don't have horns.)

The deep azure of  _his_  skin stands out against the ice, and there's a real mane of raven black hair flowing in the wind as he keeps hauling himself up the wall. His bare hands and feet move effortlessly and fluidly, as if he knows where to find the right niches in the ice by instinct. He isn't wearing much – fur draped over his shoulders and around his hips, and that's it. Tony freezes just from looking at him, but of course the Jötnar don't care about the cold like he does.

Tony just stares for a while. It isn't the first time he's spotted a Jotun on his flights. He knows that the Frost Giants are a people that lives in close touch with nature, and Tony has seen Jötnar roaming those icy tundras, controlling snow and ice as if they're one with these elements. But well, seeing someone climb up a canyon as if that's a normal thing to do is still something new.

He doesn't stay unnoticed for very long. His repulsors are unnaturally loud in the silence of the canyon, and it doesn't even take a whole minute until the Jotun stops his climbing. When deep red eyes settle on Tony, suddenly, he isn't so sure anymore if he's thankful for his zoomed in sight. He swallows heavily and raises his armoured hand in a little wave.

The Jotun grins. A wide and sharp grin that shows white teeth, somewhere between mesmerizing and really fucking creepy. And then, he waves in response. His eyes stay fixed on Tony's for a few seconds, but then he apparently loses interest, because he proceeds his climb without looking at the human again.

Tony doesn't hesitate much longer. He flies higher again until he can leave the ravine and eventually lands close to the abyss, where the Jotun should arrive in a few moments when he keeps up his tempo.

Tony waits for ten minutes before he looks over the edge, finding the Jotun gone.

 

The second time Tony sees him, it's at court.

Tony is bored to death, sitting at one end of one of the long tables in the great hall of Laufey's fortress. The High King of the Jötnar hosts weekly feasts for them since Tony and Steve arrived, and representatives of all tribes are here. This is the third party like that and this one isn't any better than the first two. The Jötnar are loud, but that's more down to their deep and rumbling voices than to anything else. Sure, they're mostly warriors and hunters, but they're not as barbaric as certain people – looking at you, Asgard – want everyone to believe. All in all, the Jötnar are a surprisingly serene folk. A few stand out, laughing and eating and drinking a lot, but they founded a fun table at the other end of the hall. Tony isn't allowed to sit with them, because it's apparently a big honor to be granted permission to sit at the High King's table with his family and the heads of the other tribes. And even though they laugh and drink and eat as well, it's a bit more toned down. Still far more casual than the one time Tony's been to Asgard, though. It's almost cozy, somehow. The food is good and the royal family isn't actually the worst company you can imagine, but well, it's still boring. The most interesting thing going on is Steve embarrassing himself as Farbauti, the High Queen, tries to teach him some Jotun words. The younger princes – Tony can't remember their names, let alone pronounce them – are talking and giggling and occasionally fighting like children do everywhere, but sadly Tony doesn't understand a word of what they're saying.

Suddenly, a Jotun at another table roars, and something rattles and there's food flying around, whirled up by – yes, that's definitely some kind of bird right there, judging by the wings and the screeching sounds it makes. It looks a bit like a pheasant, but bigger and white, and also dubiously like that totally dead, plucked and roasted bird on a salver not too far away from Tony. All heads have turned to the troublemaker, and there's a lot of rumoring as the children in the hall jump up and try to catch the bird. The Jotun from earlier is still roaring, and Tony can see him throwing something, and suddenly his bellowing resolves into laughter. Someone else joins in, and then there's another Jotun appearing out of one of the hall's side corridors and sitting down next to the other one, who shoves his shoulder and pulls at his hair a little, gestures which are immediately returned by the much smaller Jotun. Tony and Steve exchange slightly confused glances, and then Farbauti suddenly shouts something that sounds almost like a name.

In reaction, the newly arrived Jotun turns towards the royal family's table and grins, and Tony recognizes him as the climber he's seen in the canyon.

 

The third time Tony sees him, and the first time he talks to him, he's lost.

Like, really, awfully, completely lost. He's freezing and thirsty, and JARVIS has lost his signal so he can't help Tony getting out of these freaking woods. The worst thing is, he can't find his suit, and it looks as if it's about to start snowing very soon, and Tony's lost. And majorly fucked, because he won't survive the night out here.

He just wanted to get Bruce his samples. And so Tony has wandered deeper into the forest surrounding Utgard, the High King's residence, than he initially planned. Somehow, he forgot both time and directions, and now he is plodding through knee-high snow and cursing like a sailor every time he loses one of his boots, which happens about every three seconds.

It's already getting dark. The forest around him makes strange noises, and Tony wonders just how many monsters that could and would kill him are lurking in the dark between the gigantic trees. They're probably waiting for him to pass out and freeze to death. Oh, and wouldn't that be a wonderful ending? Tony Stark, Iron Man, who's survived tons of battles with the weirdest aliens, also declared a Prince of Midgard by Laufey and Friends because he's so damn powerful and continues to amaze the hell out of them all – so, yeah, that Tony Stark, you know him, right? Seems he's just going to die in a fucking forest because of his own stupidity, and no one will ever find his corpse. Poor Bruce will never get his samples, and Steve will have to make it through at least 8 more of those boring parties alone, and -

Oh god, there's a sound directly above him.

Tony stills and almost sprains his neck trying to see something _, anything_ , in the dark silhouettes of trees and branches above him. But well, there could be a fucking elephant sitting on one of those branches and he'd be none the wiser.

That something above him, because he's pretty sure there  _is_  something, rustles again. Tony wonders if he should run, but he lost his boot again, and so he just hopes it will at least kill him fast.

“Are you lost or is this merely something you do for fun?”,  _it_ asks, sounding more like a he.

For a few seconds, Tony is stunned to silence, and he thinks he's having a heart attack, but then he can make out a pair of eyes in the tree above him, eyes that gleam in the dark like rubies. Tony exhales all the air he's been holding and manages a crooked grin with clattering teeth, even though the Jotun can't see that due to the shawl Tony's wrapped around his head.

“I'm totally doing this for fun”, he tells the Jotun who's sitting on a freaking tree and could technically still kill him. Tony's voice comes out slightly muffled and stuttering. “There's nothing better than a nightly walk in the Forbidden Forest, you know? I enjoy freezing my ass off, too.”

"This forest isn't forbidden", the Jotun says, his voice smooth and deep and less rumbling than it's common under the Jötnar. Also, Tony notices that he speaks English almost accent free, which is weird.

"Yeah, no, I know. That was a reference to - uh, something you can't know, anyway. Earthly pop culture. Not important. Forget it."

“I see”, the Jotun says. He sounds amused. “You are not in need of help, then?”

“Nonono, help's absolutely needed. Could you give me directions to Utgard, because that would be awesome, but then I'll be on my way and you can climb your trees in peace. Promise.”

The Jotun makes a sound that's surprisingly pleasing to the ears, and it takes Tony a moment to realize it's a chuckle. Then there's more rustling and something – no,  _someone_ , the Jotun who hopefully isn't going to kill him – lands directly in front of him. He's at least three heads taller than Tony.

“I can bring you back to Utgard”, the Jotun offers almost kindly. “You look as if you shouldn't wander these woods alone.”

“I'm perfectly capable of wan – oh, whoa, okay,  _how_ do you -”

The Jotun has grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the snow, and to Tony's endless wonder he isn't sinking in anymore. No, he stands on the snow as if he's wearing a pair of those weird tennis racket shoes. He's still distracted by that when something lights up in front of him, and suddenly it isn't that dark anymore. The first thing he sees is a small glass that's fastened to the Jotun's pants and the glowing, fluttering something in it. A strange source of light, but Tony doesn't think about it for very long – the stranger is much more interesting.

He is still taller than Tony, but only a handful of inches, which means he's almost ridiculously small for a Jotun. He's clad in fur and leather, but his chest is still mostly bare. Black hair falls down to his shoulders, a few beads and other trinkets are braided into the strands. Two curved ivory horns peek out from his temples. His skin looks almost black in the dim light, the lines on his face and chest standing out with their light blue color. Said face is all surprisingly delicate lines and sharp cheekbones - it's actually gorgeous, in a weird way - and when the Jotun grins Tony -

“ _You_ ”, he utters, almost accusingly.

The Jotun quirks a black eyebrow. He doesn't stop grinning. “Me?”

“Yeah, I-I saw you climbing in the canyon last week”, Tony blurts out, still taking the other's appearance in. “And on the feast. That was you, right?”

“Oh”, the Jotun says, sounding curious suddenly. He leans in a little, studying Tony's eyes, and his grin changes into a less sharp and creepy smile. “You are the human in the flying armour.”

“Yes, that's me. Hi. Call me Tony.”

“Tony”, the Jotun repeats, testing the word out. His red eyes are sparkling with interest, and Tony isn't sure if he should be worried about that. “A strange name.”

“What's yours?”, Tony asks, trying to ignore the fact that he's trembling all over. It's far too cold.

“Loki.”

Tony snorts. “And that's less strange, huh? It's actually almost the sa – wait. Wait, you -”

“We should get going”, Loki says and nods in a direction Tony wouldn't have pegged for the right one in a million years. “You shouldn't be out here much longer.”

“ _You_ are Loki?”, Tony asks as he scrambles to remain next to his new and slightly weird friend who has already started to walk off. “As in, Loki, the oldest prince?”

“Yes, that's me”, Loki replies, imitating Tony's tone. “Hi.”

Tony snorts again, and Loki flashes him another grin. “That means I have to address you properly now, huh?”, Tony asks. “Your majesty or something?”

“Just Loki is fine. Where is your left boot?”

“No idea. Stuck in the snow somewhere.”

Loki frowns at him. “You humans don't like the cold, do you?”

Tony shrugs, but he doubts the movement is visible through the thick coat he's wearing. “Depends, I guess. But yeah, this is a bit too extreme.”

Loki looks at him a bit oddly for a moment. “Try not to trap over any roots”, he says then.

Tony has to yank his gaze away from Loki to watch where he's going, but that doesn't keep him from talking. “You've never appeared at any meetings. Steve's devastated, he's dying to meet the crown prince.”

“ _Steve_  is your companion, yes?” Loki lifts his hand to gesture at his hair. “The one with the light hair?”

“Yup, that's the one. I think he's the only blonde on this planet.”

“Blonde?”

“That's what we call his hair color”, Tony explains with a chuckle.

“Ah”, Loki makes, and then he shrugs. “I was there when he held his speech at the welcoming feast. He sounded boring, so I decided to stay clear of your meetings.”

“Good choice. They're almost as boring as Steve's speech.”

“Is he always that... dull?”, Loki asks curiously.

“He can be fun, too. Sometimes. But he's the responsible one, you know.”

Loki smirks at him. “And you?”

“I'm the one who gets lost in this forest at night.”

The Jotun laughs at that, and the sound is damn nice. “Is there a reason for that or were you just bored?”

“A bit of both”, Tony admits, returning Loki's grin through his shawl. “Wanted to get some samples for a friend.”

“Samples”, Loki repeats slowly. “Why?”

“He's a biochemist”, Tony says, “and damn jealous that I got the chance to visit another planet and he didn't, so I promised to bring him some souvenirs. You know, some soil and a few plants or something, so he can run a few tests on them and compare them to the stuff we have on Earth.”

“I see”, Loki nods, and Tony wonders if he really understands or just pretends he does. Probably the latter. “And did you get your  _samples?”_

“Uhm, no. Somehow it's a bit hard to gather a bit of dirt when everything lies in snow like this. I already had troubles to -” Tony stops and blinks down at his feet, remembering something. “Hey, how did you do this, by the way?”

“Do what?”

“I'm not sinking in anymore.”

“Oh, yes. A simple spell.”

Tony comes to a halt, and after a few steps Loki follows suit and looks back at him. Tony stares at him. “Spell? Like, magic?”

He knows that some of the Jötnar are wizards, but he's never met one. He has heard that they're very rare nowadays. The only magic practically every Jotun can do is the wielding of ice, and that's so normal for them that it isn't even considered magic anymore.

“Yes”, Loki says, giving him another odd look. “You didn't think of that?” Tony stares at him in mild confusion, and after a slightly awkward pause Loki adds, “I guess you have not much need for spells like that where you are from. I could teach you the one, if you like. It's very useful.”

It takes a moment until Tony catches on, and then he shakes his head. “Oh, uhm, thanks, but – I can't do magic?”

“Oh.” Loki actually looks a bit disappointed. “Forgive me, I thought – because you are so short.”

“Short?” Something clicks. “Oh,  _oh_ , height's an indicator for things like that? For you?” Loki nods, and Tony connects the rest of the dots. “So then you're so small because you're a wizard?”

“Mage”, Loki corrects and starts walking again, “but yes. I take it that's different for humans?”

“Yeah.” Tony stays a bit behind Loki, stepping into the Jotun's footprints. That makes not tripping a bit easier. “With us, height's only a thing of genes and stuff.”

“So you have very short ancestors.”

“Yup.” They walk in silence for a while, then Tony speaks up again. “So every small Jotun I've seen is a mage?”

“Some of them might be children.”

Tony rolls his eyes at the teasing tone, but he can't keep from smirking. “Thanks, smartass.”

“Is that an insult?”, is all Loki says to that, curious again.

“No, it's a very respectful term. Call Steve that if you speak to him at some point, he'll be flattered.”

“I recognize a trap when I see one, Tony.”

Tony snickers.

They keep walking like that, and while the conversation stops now and then – mostly when Tony trips and causes Loki to laugh at him, or when Loki has to help him climb over a fallen tree – but they still spend the better part of their way back to Utgard talking. After a while Loki offers casting another spell to warm Tony up, and from there on Tony's even more glad that he ran into Loki. The Jotun prince is polite, but he's got a lot of sass, and to top that off a voice you just  _want_  to keep listening to. He answers Tony's questions about magic with a lot of patience, actually seems delighted that Tony's asking at all. His humor is probably a bit weird, but Tony shares it – he can't stop laughing for a few minutes when Loki tells him what happened at that last feast. (Loki wanted to prank a friend, the roaring Jotun, and so he magically exchanged the dead bird on his plate for a living one.) It seems that Loki is a prankster.

Actually, he might just be the most interesting Jotun Tony has talked with since he's here. And so, when Utgard finally comes into sight, Tony's mind is set on seeing Loki again.

“Hey”, he says as they walk the path that leads to the village surrounding Laufey's fortress. That village is mostly icy huts and Jötnar running around doing whatever Jötnar do in everyday life. “Will you be at the next party your dad throws for us?”

“Do you know how boring those feasts are?”, Loki replies, obviously reluctant.

“Uhm, yeah. I've been at every single one of them so far. I need someone interesting to keep me company.”

Loki gives a skeptical hum. “I'll think about it.”

“Great”, Tony says, grinning. “Maybe I'll see you when I'm flying around again, your climb in the canyon was really im – Oh, dammit.”

Loki stops walking when he realizes that Tony has come to a halt. “Is something wrong?”

“I forgot my suit.  _Shit_ , I left it – I left it at the edge of the woods, couldn't fly through the trees in it, and we haven't passed it when we – okay, I'm fucked, I need to go back.”

“Wait”, Loki says, grabbing Tony's arm when he moves to turn around and run in the direction of the forest again. “Are you speaking of your armour?”

“Yeah?” Tony glances down at Loki's blue hand, and the Jotun lets go of his arm again.

“I can retrieve it for you”, Loki offers, “it will take me but a moment. You should get into the warmth.”

“Uhm.” Tony hesitates, and for the first time he really wonders if trusting Loki is a good decision. “Thanks, but I – I don't know if that's -”

“It will be in your rooms when you get there”, Loki interrupts him. “I promise.”

After a moment of thinking about it, Tony huffs a breath and nods. “Okay. Okay, fine. Trusting you here, because walking all the way back to where I left it would suck.”

One corner of Loki's mouth curls up into a smile. “Good. Can you make it on your own from here?”

“Sure.” Tony looks in the direction of the village; it isn't too far. “Also, uh. Thanks for saving my ass.”

“It's my duty to help an ambassador in distress, I think”, Loki replies, grinning again.

Tony snorts. “As if you care about duties, your Highness.”

Loki wrinkles his nose in mock offence, but his grin doesn't falter.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Tony doesn't see Loki in the next few days, but his suit was in his room when he returned, just like the prince promised. He keeps exploring Jotunheim, but he finds himself scanning the areas more for the small Jotun with the sharp smile than for anything else.

When Laufey announces one morning that there'll be another feast this evening – as if those parties are anything new and spectacular – Tony is almost excited, even though he isn't sure if Loki will show up. He seems like someone who'd stay clear of the great hall just to tease Tony a bit.

In the evening, the feast begins, and Loki isn't there. Tony isn't really surprised, but he can't help being a little disappointed. Steve notices that something's wrong and gives him a few worried looks, but Tony ignores him and tries to talk to one of the younger princes – no horns, though. So maybe a princess? Or are all Jötnar hornless until puberty hits or something? Oh, the questions – across from him instead. The young Jotun's English isn't the best, and they probably don't understand anything Tony says, but whatever. They're cute. A bit deadly looking with their blood red eyes and sharp black nails, but cute. After a few tries, he manages to ask the child what their name is, and he's in the middle of trying to pronounce it when someone sits down between Steve and Tony.

“It's Byleistr”, Loki says, folding one of his legs under him. Steve stares at him in confusion, but Tony gives the oldest prince a face splitting grin.

“Byestar”, he tries, and Loki snorts. His younger sibling giggles.

“We call him Byl, for short.” Loki helps himself to a plate and some food, ignoring Steve who's still staring at him.

“Yeah, that's better”, Tony says, grinning at Byl, who's apparently a boy. “Sounds like Bill. I'm Tony, by the way.”

“I know”, Byl says, rolling his red eyes.

Then he reaches across the table and snitches some food from Loki's plate, grinning at his brother in what's obviously a challenge. Loki quirks an eyebrow at him and makes a quick hand gesture. Byl promptly starts squealing in delight as something blue and glittering appears out of thin air, tugging at the braids in his short hair. It looks like a hologram of one of these weird dragonfly-like insects you can find everywhere on the planet, only made of blue sparks. Immediately, Loki's other siblings join the fun, which ends in a small tumult as a bunch of Jotun kids try to chase the magical hologram.

That's when Farbauti, who is sitting next to Steve, chimes in. She says something to Loki in the tone all mothers use when they reprimand their children. Loki answers in the same way everybody does in reaction to that tone, a bit too fast and with only a hint of regret that's mostly faked. The fact that Loki's by now almost familiar grin accompanies his words doesn't make his apology seem any more sincere.

Tony doesn't even try to bite back his laugh, and Loki's grin only widens when he turns back to Tony, his eyes sparkling. He makes another gesture and the blue dragonfly flickers out again. Now, with enough light to see Loki without difficulties, it's impossible to keep from staring at him. He looks just as beautiful and feral as Jotunheim's nature, and the mischief glinting in his ruby eyes is enough to take Tony's breath away for a few seconds. But maybe that's also down to the fact that the only thing Loki is wearing is a loincloth - mostly leather, with a bit of white fur around his hips - that leaves his criminally long legs mostly bare. Loki looks strong, but he's surprisingly lithe – for a Jotun, anyway – and the curve of his waist makes Tony wonder whether he should reconsider his theory about horns. The pattern of the swirling lines on his blue skin is something Tony could look at for hours. Loki's thick, black hair is longer that he has noticed in the forest, braided back in a way that speaks of clever and talented fingers.

Tony has just started wondering if those horns are really made of ivory when Loki's low voice pulls him back to reality. The hint of smugness tells him that his staring hasn't gone unnoticed.

“You look much better without all that gear covering you from head to toe.”

Tony briefly glances down to the long, blue fingers that are tugging playfully at his pullover before he looks up to meet Loki's eyes. He realizes that this is the first time Loki actually sees his face, since it was hidden by his shawl during their walk in the forest. Loki seems to like what he sees, if that appreciative gleam in his eyes is anything to go by. Tony returns the Jotun's smirk, inwardly patting himself on the shoulder for getting lost in those woods.

“Uhm”, Steve's voice comes from Loki's other side. “You know each other?”

“Yes”, Tony says, yanking his gaze away from the oldest prince. “Steve, Loki; Loki, Steve. We met in the forest a few days ago, it was awesome.”

It takes a second for Steve to understand, and then he seems excited. “Oh, _you_ are -”

“Don't go into fanboy mode now, Cap”, Tony interrupts him. “He's a chill prince.”

“It's nice to finally meet you”, Steve says, his eyes flickering over to Tony in a way that tells him his friend has about a million questions about Tony and Loki's encounter in the woods.

“The pleasure is all mine”, Loki replies politely. “I'm sorry I didn't greet you properly before, but I always had some business to attend. I hope you understand.”

“Of course, it's fine”, Steve hurries to say, “please, don't worry. I imagine you're very busy as the crown prince.”

“Indeed. I came to listen to your speech at the welcoming feast, though. It was very inspiring.”

Tony snorts, and something nudges his leg under the table. Probably Loki's foot. Tony listens while Loki and Steve continued talking for a while, waiting for the moment Loki will get bored and drop the act.

It takes four minutes.

Tony watches as Loki involves his mother into the conversation, and as soon Steve is well distracted talking to Farbauti, Loki turns to Tony with an almost accusing look in his eyes.

“You said he could be fun”, the prince says in a tone so low that Steve can't hear.

“You gave him no chance”, Tony whispers back, trying to keep from laughing. _“_ I mean, _you_ started talking politics.”

“I waited for him to change the subject, but apparently he _enjoys_ talking about such dull things.”

“Some people are weird like that.”

Loki's sullen expression disappears, getting replaced by a slightly disturbing grin. “You do not rank among them, I hope?”

“Nope, I'm weird in a different way.”

“Good”, Loki says, tugging at Tony's shirt again before he turns around on the bench they're sitting on to stand up. “Come, then. Let's find something better to do.”

Tony doesn't even think about it, he just stands up as well. Steve calls after him, sounding worried, but Tony just gives him a thumbs up and follows Loki, who has already started sauntering along the long table in direction of one of the exits.

“You're planning some mischief, aren't you?”, Tony asks, grinning up at the Jotun.

“Constantly”, Loki answers.

 

 

Two hours later, they sit together in a small alcove, one of many that are carved into the blue stone of Laufey's fortress. Tony has seen many of these places already, and often Jötnar sitting in the niches and chatting. They're a bit above the ground, and Loki had to help Tony getting in. They snitched some food and drinks from the kitchen and watch the Jötnar – both servants and guests – pass their niche, all in a hurry while Tony and Loki are nibbling on some strange, almost too bitter fruits and giggling over the pranks they pulled.

They are probably hiding, at least that's what Tony thinks, even though Loki has assured him that they won't get into trouble for the chaos they caused in the kitchen. But somehow Tony gets the feeling that everyone in Utgard already knows that, whenever some chaos or mischief happens, Loki is involved. It's not that Tony's frightened of getting caught. In fact, he's having the fun of his life, and he really regrets that they haven't met sooner. These parties are a lot more fun if you have someone to sabotage them with.

Loki is currently telling Tony about a few other tricks he pulled on literally everyone, and his stories sets Tony off laughing basically every few seconds. He likes the ones about the Asgardians best, because it's just too funny imagining the oh so serious Odin with a color changing eye patch. (It seems that the Aesir didn't have a particularly good time in Jotunheim when they visited the last time.) Loki is an amazing story teller, and Tony realizes he'd been right with the assumption he already made in the forest – he really could listen to the other's voice for _hours_ , because Loki doesn't only have a voice that's extremely pleasing to the ears, he's also very good with words. It's actually surprising _how_ good with words he is, given that he's speaking English.

“Tonyyy”, Loki suddenly complains, and Tony is pulled out of his thoughts when a blue hand reaches out to tug at the strings of his hoodie. “You are not listening.”

“I am”, Tony protests instantly, grabbing a handful of what looks like grapes but isn't really grapes, at least not earthly ones. “You were saying that Thor's even easier to prank than the other Asgardians.”

Loki hums, apparently satisfied, and takes a sip of the icy water Jötnar like to drink so much (if they aren't drinking the wine they make out of these not-quite-grapes, that is). “But you were thinking about something else”, Loki says then, because apparently he's already gotten the hang of interpreting Tony's facial expressions.

“Yeah”, Tony admits slowly, “I thought that you're really good with words.”

That makes Loki look even more satisfied. “I know”, he says, and Tony snorts.

“You speak English far batter than the others. How's that?”

“I was more intent to learn it than them”, Loki replies, shrugging. “When the first humans came, I followed them around positively everywhere to learn your tongue. It didn't take long, English is much easier than our language.”

“You have to teach me a few words. Steve's failing miserably at that, I want to see his face when I talk to your dad in perfect Jotun.”

Loki chuckles, eyes glinting. “I suppose that can be arranged.”

“Also, should I be hurt that you followed them around _everywhere_? Because I am.”

“Apologies”, Loki counters dryly, one of his impish smiles already tugging at his lips. “As I said, your _Captain_ sounded rather boring when I heard him speak. And then I was told that the other human tends to fall asleep during court meetings, which didn't sound that alluring either.”

“Uhm, I don't think the crown prince who never appears at one single council is allowed to scold me for falling asleep during them.”

“However”, Loki simply speaks over him, “I changed my mind when I saw you in the canyon. I admit that I was interested then.”

And that makes _Tony_ satisfied, if nothing else. That doesn't stop him from pouting, though. “I still had to get lost in a spooky forest to meet you.”

“There's no need to be jealous. You are much more fascinating than those first humans. Besides, I followed you around in that forest for a while as well.”

Tony raises his brows. “How long?”

“An hour, perhaps?”

“You watched me for an hour before you decided to help me”, Tony states.

“Yes.” Loki grins. “I enjoyed watching you plod through the snow, it was very amusing.”

For that, Tony throws one of the grapes at him.

 

 

Tony has pegged Loki as someone who always arrives at least twenty minutes late to every date, which means that, when there's a knock on his door ten minutes too early, Tony is _not ready._

Well, at least he's dressed. Could have been worse, really.

He hurries to the door and opens it, already grinning wildly before he even sees Loki standing there. “Hey.”

“Hello”, the Jotun prince greets him back.

Tony can tell by the tone that Loki's mood is as good as his own, and the thought that Loki looked forward to this evening like he himself has causes him to beam even more. They haven't seen each other since the feast, which was three days ago. It was Loki who suggested they meet again, and Tony immediately agreed when the prince asked if Tony would let him take a look at his suit. Tony was busy with meetings the last two days – meetings he couldn't skip, according to Steve – and he's been abuzz the entire time, even though those councils were boring as hell.

“They've given you the poorer chambers”, Loki comments as he steps into the room and looks around, brow furrowed in what looks like mild irritation.

Tony shrugs, thinking about Steve's smaller, but far nicer – meaning, with more earthly stuff – furnished rooms. “I needed some extra place for my work, so I asked for a bigger room. This is fine, though, so don't worry. What is it with Jötnar and small rooms, anyway? The houses around Utgard are all kind of small for people as big as you.”

“We prefer to sleep and live in small places”, Loki answers, lifting his shoulders. “The great hall for the feasts is something very unusual, only used for big gatherings. You don't like small rooms?”

“Nono, it's sort of cozy. My first room was full of furs and blankets, it was like a pillow fort or something. Just gave me a bit of claustrophobia.”

Loki hums and nods, but Tony can tell that his friend has barely listened. He's far too distracted already by all the human stuff he's seeing in Tony's room, apparently. “Would you mind if I look around a little?”

“No, go ahead”, Tony says, waving his head. “Just, uh, don't touch any of my tech, okay?”

“Not without your permission”, Loki nods, and Tony chuckles when the Jotun goes off inspecting everything he can get his eyes on.

The next two hours are spend with Tony answering every question Loki asks, with explaining dozens of things about humanity and Earth, and finally with the suit and a few of Tony's other inventions. Loki is fascinated, and his questions are intelligent and _challenging_ , and Tony's just – well, smitten. A little. He knows that the Jötnar have their own form of science (in form of their magic) and that they're far from backward or anything, but they're just so different from humans and everything Tony knows that he just hasn't expected to find anyone as... compatible with him as Loki is. Loki's able to keep up with Tony's rambling and the sudden leaps in his thoughts, and not only that, Loki rambles and leaps _himself._ They speak and tease and banter as if this isn't only the third time they spend time together. When they sit on Tony's bed – which is the Jotun equivalent of a mattress on a floor and lots of furs draped over it – and eat dinner together, Tony already knows that Loki could easily become someone who will be difficult to leave behind when Tony will have to go back to Earth in a few months.

He doesn't really think about that now, though.

He prefers listening to Loki as he talks about levitation spells – apparently, making things levitate is easy, but making _himself_ levitate isn't, and Loki would like to make that particular spell a bit simpler. According to Loki, levitation spells are actually useless for anything else than shenanigans (which means that they _are_ useful to Loki). He's wondering out loud if he could transfer the functioning of the repulsors of Tony's suit to his magic, given that Tony can fly pretty easily with them. That's what makes Tony realize that Loki is an inventor himself, in his own way.

He couldn't have been more amazing, really.

“Are you warm enough?”, Loki asks suddenly, handing Tony another piece of the fruit they're sharing.

Tony was a bit perplexed, seeing Loki slice the fruit with the nails of his little fingers, the only ones long and sharp enough to be used as, well, knifes. Tony hasn't realized that's something Jötnar do, but Loki told him that he should pay attention to the other Jötnar's nails at the next feast. Apparently their nails are an important tool for them or something.

“Yeah, I'm fine”, Tony answers Loki's question. He's wearing two thick layers of clothing and a beanie on his head; like that it's possible to endure the low temperature in Utgard without freezing like hell. Fine, he's still freezing a little, but after two months he's almost used to that.

“You look ridiculous”, Loki comments, eyeing Tony's clothes almost suspiciously.

“Hey, at the feast you said I look better like this”, Tony huffs, feigning offence.

“Yes. But still ridiculous.”

“We can't all walk around like Tarzan, Lokes.”

“You have to stop with the Midgardian references, you know I don't get them.”

“But I like seeing your confused face”, Tony counters, and Loki rolls his eyes. He's amused, though, Tony can tell be the slight curl of his lips.

“Is it very warm on Midgard?”, Loki asks after a moment.

Tony shrugs, stealing the last slice of the fruit out of Loki's hands. “Depends on where you are. Earth's much bigger than Jotunheim. We have different temperature zones and everything. But I think it's still warmer than here, no matter where you are.”

“You shouldn't go further than the canyon, I think”, Loki says, a crease between his eyes. “It gets much colder there than here.”

“Yeah, I know. I've flown there before, a few weeks ago. Had to turn around to keep my suit from freezing.”

Loki's smirk turns into a real smile at that, but Tony's sure he can see a bit of worry there, too. Mostly wishful thinking, probably.

“That suit of yours”, the prince says, a pensive look in his eyes. He looks back at the corner of the room Tony uses to store and work on his inventions. “are you sure it isn't magic?”

“Uhm, yes. I made it, I know it isn't. Why?”

Loki hums a bit skeptically. “I'm not sure. Something about you...” He trails of and shrugs. “I really thought you were a mage.”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I'm only a scientist.” In reaction to Loki's slightly confused look, Tony adds, “that's what Earth has instead of magic, sort of. Sience. I mean, we have some wizards as well, but they're, like, super special. ”

Loki stays silent for a while, apparently thinking about that. “I don't know much about humans, I'm afraid”, he says then, sounding almost contrite.

“I don't know much about Jötnar either.”

Loki turns to him completely, suddenly, even leaning in a little. His sudden grin is different from his usual one, more excited than anything else. “I answer your questions, then”, the Jotun says, “and you answer mine.”

“Deal”, Tony nods instantly, returning Loki's grin. That's what they've been doing already, anyway. “Can I go first?”

“If you like.”

“Those markings”, Tony says, and resists the urge to touch them. He just follows the lines on Loki's face with his eyes, instead. “Do they mean anything?”

Loki smiles; it somehow seems as if he's pleased by that question. “I think it's more... like your height? You call it genes, I think. Mine are very similar to my mother's markings.” He shrugs. ”Some say they reveal the fate of the one who bears them, though. A few even claim to be able to read them.”

“Oh, like palm reading?”

“Palm reading?”

“It's an Earth thing.” Tony chuckles and takes of one of his gloves, showing Loki his hand. “See these lines? You have them, too, I'm sure. Some on Earth think they can tell you things about your future. Like, how many kids you'll have some day and stuff like that.”

“Ah”, Loki makes, and suddenly he takes Tony's hand in his.

Tony can't help but shudder a little at the contact, god, Loki's skin is _cold_. It doesn't hurt, but Tony's sure it would get uncomfortable after some time. That isn't enough to make him pull his hand away, though. Instead, he watches while Loki traces one of the lines on Tony's palm with his fingertips.

“You are very warm”, Loki muses after a few moments.

“You are very cold”, Tony replies.

Loki looks up and meets Tony's eyes again, still smiling.

That's the first time Tony actually realizes he might really have a thing for tall, blue aliens with manic grins and mischievous eyes.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had to divide the last part into two, because I added some stuff when I edited it. So this will be four chapters long, next one will be up next week.^^ I hope you enjoy it!

“You're planning to kill me.”

“Oh? What gives you that idea?”

“I think it's the fact that we've been tumbling through these woods for hours and you still haven't told me where we're going.”

“ _You_ are tumbling, not _we.”_

“Stop nitpicking. I've seen through you. You're planning to lure me into a nice and creepy lair you've got somewhere.”

“Since when do I need to _lure_ you into anything?”

“Since I decided that this was a very stu – “

That's when Tony slips, and the rest of his sentence gets lost in a screech. Immediately, Loki's hands are on him and pull him back onto the tree trunk they're currently balancing over. The fall wouldn't be that deep and maybe even softened by snow, but Tony holds onto the Jotun for dear life, anyway.

“See”, he tells his friend, glaring up at him. “I almost died. _Again._ ”

“I wouldn't let you die that easily, Tony.” Loki glances down, eyes wrinkling in a smile. “Besides, I doubt that you would have died. Broken your legs, perhaps.”

“I said stop nitpicking.”

“Apologies. Can we proceed or do you want to return to Utgard?”

It was a honest offer, and Loki's slight – but very obvious – makes Tony smirk. “No, now I want to see that lair of yours. I also want to get off this goddamn trunk, so get going.”

“Do try not to slip again”, Loki says and lets go of Tony's coat. He's still smiling. “It slows us down.”

He motions for Tony to walk in front of him, and with a faint huff Tony obliges and starts balancing again. “If you want a travel buddy who can keep up with your funky climbing skills, you shouldn't have chosen a human.”

“I have chosen a human, though, and I would prefer not to lose him.”

“Then stop making me climb over trunks and up scarps.”

“This is the shortest way.”

“Uh, nope, because I keep slipping. Slows us down, you said.”

Loki sighs and Tony grins to himself. They keep up their banter and easy conversation as they make their way through the forest, and even though Loki might be planning to kill him and Tony does keep slipping, Tony doesn't want to be anywhere else than here.

They're in the same forest in which they met, only much deeper. They are almost at the foot of Jotunheim's mountains by now, at least that's what Tony thinks – in fact, he has no real idea where they are anymore. Loki wants to show him something, that's basically all he knows, and the Jotun is stubborn to keep it a surprise. Which is a new thing, because usually they plan their trips together. Of course Loki is often the one who leads the way, since he knows every corner of Jotunheim like the back of his hand. They've wandered through the tundras and the canyon and the woods together, and Loki has shown Tony a few hidden nooks Tony would never have discovered on his own. He believes that Loki's surprise is another nook like that, but why Loki doesn't want to tell him about it in advance is a mystery. But Tony trusts him and has no problems following the prince into the blue, even though he likes to whine a little now and then.

They've known each other for about two months now, and they meet almost every day. Sometimes to roam Jotunheim's nature, often to cause some mischief in Utgard, but mostly to just sit together and talk. Tony believes he has never met someone like that – they just _match_ , somehow. It's strange, given the fact that they're from two entirely different species, and at the same time it has stopped being strange weeks ago.

It takes another two hours until they reach their destination, which turns out to be not much more than a crack in a rock formation. Tony glances between the crevice and his friend, who's returning his gaze with an expectant look in his eyes.

“You aren't kidding”, Tony states after a moment. “You want me to go in there.”

“Yes.” Loki inclines his head. “It is safe, I promise.” He takes a step forward and unfastens the glass that's always attacked to his waistband. He ties it to the belt of Tony's coat instead, and taps against it to make the charm he's trapped inside of it glow. “I know you do not like caves, but I will be right behind you at all times. If necessary, I can always get us out in a matter of seconds.”

“Teleportation, huh”, Tony says, voice a little bit too flat. “Thought that wasn't safe for me.”

Loki shrugs. “I worked on the spell.”

Tony still hesitates, avoiding to meet the other's eyes while thinking the whole thing over. Loki waits patiently, and Tony doesn't doubt that, should he decide against this, Loki would find something else for them to do without losing any words about it. After a while he forces himself to look at the prince again.

“This better be worth it”, he threats, and Loki grins, wide and pleased, when they enter the cave.

Loki asked about Tony's past exactly once, about three weeks ago. He asked how Tony came up with the idea for the suit, and Tony told him, only in outline, about Afghanistan. Loki didn't make a single comment, but the crease between his fiery eyes was enough of a reaction. He'd probably track down every single member of the Ten Rings and make them pay, if there wasn't the fact that they were all a few light years away.

They follow the narrow path, and it's ridiculously unpleasant. After Tony made a comment about orcs and finding evil rings underground that Loki obviously didn't understand, he tells the Jotun about the wonder that's Lord of the Rings, and it gets better from there on. He still hates caves, but they aren't half so bad when he's got Loki to distract himself with.

“We're almost there”, Loki announces after what could have very well been hours. Tony finds himself unbelievably relieved when the cave around them widens, and what he sees then is _definitely_ worth it.

“Whoa”, he says, pulling down the shawl that protects his face from the cold. “This is – okay, if this is your lair, I'm impressed. This is some serious Center of the Earth shit.”

“Do you like it?”

“Uhm, obviously? Loki, this is _awesome_.”

Tony stares wide-eyed at the sight he's presented with. This isn't even a cave anymore, it looks more like a freaking underground garden – everything's in different shades of blue and grey, like pretty much everything on Jotunheim, but there isn't any snow. No, Tony can see a lot of plants, flowers and bushes and even trees, all in the strangest shapes. He can hear water gurgling, and there are other sounds that are probably made by (hopefully, but probably not all too harmless) animals. Light is coming from somewhere in the ceiling of the cave, so probably there's a hole in there somewhere that lets through a few rays of Jotunheim's cold sun. It's a bit warmer in here than outside, and Tony thinks he could stand this temperature for a while, even without Loki's warmth spell.

“This is were I collect ingredients for spells and potions”, Loki explains while Tony's still busy taking the place in. “I know you have trouble finding those samples for your friend. You should have enough options here. Just make sure to ask me before you touch anything, some of these plants can be a bit fickle.”

“Bruce will be _so_ jealous when I tell him about this”, Tony says, grinning, and then he grabs Loki and drags him forward.

Tony forgets the time while they explore the area (well, while he explores it and picks up various samples for Bruce with Loki beside him) and he barely realizes when it starts to get darker in their Secret Garden. Tony isn't really surprised when Loki suggests to spend the night here, and he gladly follows the Jotun into a secluded corner of the cave where Loki proceeds to make a fire to keep Tony warm. Loki already told him before they left that they might be gone over night. That's a first as well, but Tony certainly isn't complaining. They've brought some food and it's starting to get warm enough around the fire that Tony can even take off his coat and beanie. He'll probably be comfortable sleeping here. If they sleep at all, that is – they'll probably spend the hours talking.

Or doing something else, if Tony can arrange it. And that shouldn't be that difficult; at least Tony thinks that when he suddenly feels Loki's fingers carding through his hair.

“I think this is the first time I see you without your hat”, the prince mutters, sounding fascinated.

“It's ridiculously cold in Utgard for humans, you know”, Tony says, inclining his head to give Loki better access. The fingers pause in reaction to that, but not for very long.

“But your Captain doesn't wear all these clothes like you do.”

“Because Steve is a super human”, Tony replies dryly. “I'm just a _normal_ human.”

Loki hums; the sound he always makes when he's only listening with half an ear. Probably distracted by human hair, Tony thinks, and Loki's next question confirms that.

“How many hair colors are possible for humans? Steve is _blonde_ , you said, and you...”

“Brunet”, Tony fills him in. “That's what we call someone with brown hair.” He chuckles. “I think I haven't seen that color anywhere on this planet. Even your leathers and furs and everything are either grey or white.”

“Yes, it's very rare”, Loki agrees. “That is different on Earth, yes?”

“Yeah. Brown's, like, pretty ordinary. I think most people have brown hair. Then there's blonde, like Steve, and black and red, and a million shades in between.”

“Red? Like our eyes?”

Tony laughs and shakes his head. “No. Well, not naturally, at least. A lot of people dye their hair, on earth.”

“Ah. And eye colors?”

“Uh, blue, like Steve. Brown, like mine, and green. I think those are the most common ones, but they're many different shades there as well.”

“Green”, Loki repeats, and Tony laughs again. During the last weeks, Loki has developed something close to an obsession with green, since he's seen Tony in a hoodie of that color. But if there's rarely any brown on this planet, there's even less green, so Tony can understand Loki's fascination.

“I'll show you some pictures when we're back in Utgard”, Tony promises, hoping that JARVIS can provide some.

Loki nods and Tony can see he's busy thinking. He doesn't stop running his fingers through Tony's hair, though, so Tony closes his eyes and enjoys the attention. They don't do a lot of touching – in fact, the last time they actually touched was after that one feast, when Loki took his hand. He's been dreaming about touching Loki again since then, but somehow he never initiated it. He knows Jötnar aren't very tactile people, and making Loki uncomfortable is practically the last thing he wants.

He's pulled out of his thoughts when Loki tugs at his hair. Tony snorts and opens his eyes to look at his friend again, who's already grinning back again. “You've been waiting _weeks_ to do that, haven't you?”

“Yes”, Loki says, and tugs again.

No, Jötnar aren't very tactile people. Which is why all that _tugging_ – at his sleeves and the strings of his hoodies, now and then even at his gloves – was confusing Tony after spending a bit more time with Loki. Loki explained that it's basically a gesture between friends, to show affection. Since Jötnar aren't comfortable touching other people's skin when they aren't their, to quote Loki, “mate”, they're quite content with tugging at their friends' hair and clothes. Tony has never asked what exactly made Loki touch his hands that evening, hoping that he already knows the answer.

Still smiling, Tony returns the gesture and tugs at one of Loki's braids. He's promptly rewarded with an almost too soft smile, just before Loki gets distracted by something else again.

“What is this?”, he asks, tapping against Tony's earpiece.

“Oh, I totally forgot about that. That lets me stay in contact with JARVIS when I'm not in my suit. I stopped wearing it around Utgard after a few weeks, but I thought he could be useful on our trips.”

“JARVIS?”, Loki asks, looking at Tony uncomprehendingly.

Tony stares at Loki for a second, and then he frowns and sits up. He's already lifting his hand to his ear to activate the small device. “Wait, did I really forget to introduce you to JARVIS?”

“ _I'm afraid so, Sir”,_ his AI comments on that. _“I feel quite left out.”_

“Yes, you did”, Loki says at the same time. “Is he another human?”

“Nono, he's an AI – artificial intelligence, a computer program, basically”, Tony explains, and it seems that Loki remembers what a computer is, because his eyes light up with interest.

“An invention of yours?”, he asks, and as soon as Tony nods he adds, “can you show me?”

“You can meet him”, Tony replies, chuckling as he takes the earphone out.

He offers it to Loki, who frowns down at it for a moment before he tugs his hair behind his ear and turns it towards Tony. Tony smirks and gets on his knees to comply Loki's unspoken wish. As soon as the piece is in his ear, Loki's eyes widen in surprise, and Tony is pretty sure that Jarvis has just introduced himself. To Tony's surprise, the Jotun greets the AI back, even though he does it fairly hesitantly. Tony has no idea what JARVIS is saying to him and he also doesn't listen to Loki's answer, too distracted by the sudden fondness for the Jotun that's practically flooding him. Okay, it's not _that_ sudden, he's been pretty fond of Loki for several weeks now. But it's simply impossible to not be a tiny bit overwhelmed when Loki is sitting next to him like this, otherworldly and stunning like always, with his witty smirk and curious eyes, and Tony thinks -

He thinks that he was right, and leaving Loki behind will be the hardest thing he's ever done.

“He calls you Mr. Stark”, Loki says.

Tony forces himself to focus on him again, noticing that the Jotun is holding the earpiece in his hands now. Apparently he and JARVIS have already said goodbye, and now Loki is turning the small device in his fingers, examining it. Tony clears his throat and Loki's eyes flicker back to him.

“That's my name”, Tony tells him, “Tony Stark.” He rolls and shrugs as he adds, “well, Anthony Edward Stark, actually, but that sounds a bit too boring.”

“I didn't know that”, Loki says pensively. “Do all humans have several names?”

“Most of them, yes”, he replies, quirking a brow at the Jotun. “How comes you didn't know that? If the other Jötnar aren't talking about me by now, I'm doing something wrong.”

Loki laughs. “Oh, they do talk about you, but they don't call you that.”

“Do I want to know what they call me instead?”

“The Little One, mostly.” Loki just grins at Tony's scowl. “Well, you _are_ currently the shortest adult on this planet.”

Tony sighs. “Should've known better than to visit the planet of literal giants, I guess.”

“I am very glad that you came”, Loki says quietly and leans down to put the device back in Tony's ear.

His fingers brush Tony's skin and, yes, they are still very cold. But still, the touch and the sudden closeness of Loki's face to his is enough to make Tony do something that's probably very stupid – but well, it isn't like it's a deliberate decision. Tony doesn't think it through, even though he should, because this will make leaving Loki behind so much _harder_.

He can't bring himself to care about that, though, not when he finally feels Loki's lips against his.

Loki has stilled as soon as Tony launched forward, and he still doesn't move when the human pulls back after a few seconds. Tony can see he's puzzled, and he suddenly becomes aware of what he's doing. It makes him curse inwardly – what the hell happened to _don't make Loki uncomfortable_? - and heat rise in his cheeks. He's about to clear his throat and splutter an apology, but then he feels cold fingertips tracing the line of his jaw.

“This is – this is what humans do to show...”, Loki pauses, licking his lips, “affection, yes?”

“Uh, yes.” Tony swallows thickly and manages a small nod. His mind takes a bit more time than usually to grasp the meaning of Loki's words. “Do you – I mean, Jötnar don't do... kissing?”

Loki inclines his head a little, thinking. His gaze drops down to Tony's lips and lingers there. “It's not... common”, he says eventually, voice quiet. A small smirk tugs at his lips, curling them upward. “Not on the mouth, at least. Maybe some in the southern tribes...”

He trails off, and Tony has to swallow again before he can get any words out. “I didn't mean to -”

“It's fine”, Loki interrupts him, meeting Tony's eyes again. “I liked it.”

Tony can't help it, he pulls Loki in and kisses him again. This time, Loki does respond, mirroring the movement of Tony's lips and pressing against the human. Tony's hands move on their own account, one grasping the fur of Loki's cloak, the other burying in the Jotun's hair to haul him even closer.

When they break apart to get some air, Tony is already thinking that he's wearing far too many layers of clothing, and, judging by the look in Loki's eyes, he's thinking something along similar lines. He kisses Tony again, briefly, and then starts to nuzzle his cheek. The breath that brushes Tony's skin is surprisingly warm.

“Friendly affection?”, Loki asks close to his ear, and Tony laughs and shakes his head.

“No”, he whispers back, “more like – mates, I guess?”

Loki makes a pleased sound and wraps his arms around Tony, who is quick to return the embrace. “Good”, Loki says.

His lips continue ghosting over Tony's cheek, and Tony begins to wonder what Jötnar do to their mates to show... affection. He asks Loki that, and he can _feel_ the other's chest vibrate as he chuckles.

“I can show you”, Loki promises, touching his forehead to Tony's. “I _will_ show you.” He smiles widely – a far softer version of his usual grin. His gaze drops again when he lifts his hand and cups Tony's face, thumb lightly brushing his lower lip. “But first I want your mouth on mine again, I think.”

And who is Tony to deny him anything?

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo, finally here's the last part. I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think. ^.^

Tony is freezing. He's been freezing for ages, but he is stubborn enough to keep his eyes closed and his teeth from clattering. He doesn't want to leave their nest – it is a _literal_ nest, with Loki bringing new furs and blankets and god knows what else for them every day – to get some clothes on, and he also doesn't want to stop touching Loki. Even though he might be getting frostbite already.

In the end, he doesn't get around shifting a little so their bodies aren't pressed against each other anymore. It's fucking tragic, that he can't wrap himself around Loki like he _wants_ , wants so badly, just because his human body can't handle a little cold.

Loki makes a protesting sound when he feels Tony move beside him, causing Tony to still. He didn't mean to wake him, but well, Loki is a light sleeper. His hearing – and every other sense, really – is ridiculously good, even when he isn't awake. And so it takes only a few seconds until Loki lifts his head, ruby eyes opening drowsily to quint at Tony.

“Cold?”, he asks, not bothering to stifle a yawn.

“A bit”, Tony admits, and Loki rolls his eyes before closing them again.

“I told you to wake me”, he mutters. His accent is stronger when he's just woken up, Tony notes not for the first time, and it makes him smile. Loki's hand blindly reaches out for Tony until it finds skin, and a split second later warmth spreads out from the mage's fingers, filling Tony's every pore. It's a special warmth spell Loki has come up with just for Tony, and it works better than the one he used in the beginning, but it still isn't a durable solution. The spell always wears off after two hours, tops, maybe even earlier if they touch a lot.

And they do touch a lot, these days.

“Better?”, Loki asks, eyes open again, but only half-lidded. “Can I -”

“Yes”, Tony says instantly, and promptly he's got Loki's body draped over his again. Tony smirks and wraps his arms around the Jotun, who gives a content sigh as he snuggles into Tony, not without pressing a brief kiss to the human's bare shoulder.

“I will find a way to make the spell last longer”, Loki mumbles, mouth moving against Tony's skin. He shifts a little more until he doesn't poke Tony with his horns. (Really, Tony's glad that they're rather small, otherwise cuddling and stuff would be a bit complicated.)

“It's fine”, Tony says and starts to play with Loki's hair. “Works this way, doesn't it?”

Loki gives a skeptical hum, and after a moment he lifts his head again, chin resting on Tony's chest. “It's annoying”, he declares, making Tony chuckle. He becomes serious again when Loki adds, “I do not enjoy hurting you.”

“You're not hurting me, bluebell”, Tony says, grinning when Loki groans a bit about the nickname. “It's not your fault you're so cold, or that my body can't handle it. It's alright, really.”

“It's still annoying”, Loki insists. His eyes get that look they always get when he's plotting something, and Tony waits patiently, letting him think. “Hand”, Loki demands after a moment, lifting his own from where it rested on Tony's chest.

Tony quirks a brow but obliges him, bringing his hand up to where Loki's is hovering in the air. He expects the Jotun to take his hand, but Loki only touches the tip of his index finger to Tony's. He knits his brows in concentration. Tony has to yawn, which earns him a glare that he just dismisses with an apologetic shrug. Loki focuses on their hands again, and it only takes a few seconds longer until a grin brightens his face. Tony smiles in response, like he always does, and then his eyes widen when he sees _what_ they're grinning about.

Loki's fingers are changing color. It looks as if the color of Tony's skin is just splashing over, dyeing Loki's hand. It goes on until Loki's skin is exactly the same color as Tony's, up until his elbow where it blurs into blue again.

“Oh”, Tony says, blinking. “Oh, that's – how the hell –“

“I can change my form”, Loki interrupts him, eyes glinting. “Am I warmer now?”

“Yes”, Tony answers in not so mild awe, eyes still fixed on Loki's hand. The fingers look shorter, somehow, and the fingertip Tony's still touching feels more calloused than Loki's hands usually are. “You even – it _feels_ different.”

“It should.” Loki chuckles and wriggles his fingers. “This is practically your hand, after all.”

“Oh.”

Tony's color starts to drain from Loki's hand, and soon enough his fingers are blue again. Loki sighs. “I don't do it often”, he says, lying down properly again. “And I have never taken the form of a human before. It is... difficult, to change into something I'm not familiar with.”

“You're fairly familiar with my body by now”, Tony remarks absently, still distracted with how _fucking amazing_ his lover is.

Loki snorts softly. “Am I now.”

“So you could – you know, change your entire body?”, Tony asks. His mind is reeling too fast to properly react to the tone of Loki's voice that has dropped an octave.

“Yes. But it could take some time until I manage to remain a human form for more than a few minutes. I also would prefer to not just... mirror your body. Unless sleeping with yourself is something you would like to try.”

“Oh god.”

Loki hums. “What did you call yourself, a _textbook narcissist_?”

“Shut up”, Tony counters, tugging at Loki's hair.

Loki laughs and rolls onto his side again, propping himself on his elbow. He keeps one hand on Tony's chest and draws lazy circles with his fingertips, careful not to cut Tony's skin with his sharp nails. He also avoids touching the arc reactor, which Tony is thankful for. The touch is still cold, but bearably so. (Three cheers for magic, really.)

“Would you like that?”, Loki asks, thoughtful eyes studying Tony's face.

“Fucking myself?”

Loki gives a heartfelt sigh. “I never should have mentioned that.”

“Nope”, Tony agrees, grinning up at the Jotun. Loki doesn't grin back, though, so Tony takes his hand and traces the lines on the back of Loki's hand with his thumb, knowing how much his lover likes that. “What did you mean?”

“I could be human”, Loki says, a crease between his eyes. “Well, at least I could look like one.”

Tony mirrors Loki's frown, unsure where the prince is going with this. “I don't see a reason why you should. I mean, yeah, the cold thing is a problem, but – I've nothing against freezing a little.”

Loki doesn't reply at first. He averts his eyes and lays down on his back again. Tony turns around to look at him, waiting for whatever Loki obviously wants to say.

“I could be... _exclusively_ male”, Loki says eventually, words directed at the low ceiling. “Or female. Either. I know it must be... strange, for you. To be with me.”

“About as strange as it's for you to be with me, I guess.”

“I would not mind”, Loki says with a light shrug, still not looking at Tony. “I'm always me, no matter which skin or body I wear.”

They talked about this before. A few days ago, shortly after their first time in Loki's Secret Garden. Of course Tony couldn't hold back his curiosity, and Loki was more than willing to explain him how the whole gender thing works for the Jötnar. It turned out that Tony's theory about horns was more or less nonsense; apparently that's just a result of genes and stuff. The Jötnar don't have a concept of gender like humans do, and the concept they do have is a very fluid and changeable thing. It isn't really biological, since they're all the same in those regards. According to Loki, they have different pronouns which are rather similar to those in human languages, and they all decide themselves how they want to be addressed. It seems to depend on whether they prefer to bear children or to sire them, or both or neither. But that's a decision, a preference that can change, so it's never definite. Loki sees himself of the “both” spectrum of that scale, even though he has no children yet, and Tony tried to remember and pronounce the pronouns his lover prefers, but Loki got a laughing fit every time Tony tried to wrap his tongue around those words, so in the end he just stuck with “he”. Loki doesn't seem to mind, but he _does_ seem somehow conscious about this whole thing.

And so Tony rolls over and places a kiss on his lover's temple, right beneath the point where one of his horns breaks through his blue skin. “It doesn't matter to me, Lokes”, he says quietly. “Wear whichever skin you want, it's fine by me as long as you're comfortable. Okay?”

Loki makes a pleased sound, and even though he hides it quite well Tony can tell he's relieved. “I would still like to try it, though. Being cold all the time cannot be good for you.”

“I'll survive”, Tony promises wryly, and finally there's the smirk he's been waiting for.

“I hope so”, Loki replies lightly.

He inclines his head when Tony begins kissing down his neck, giving him better access. After a while his hands find their way into Tony's hair, gently but insistently pulling him up again _._ Loki's lips are cool, just as his tongue is, but they always warm up at least a little when they kiss for a long time. And that they do, because they both can't seem to get enough of it.

 

“How do you even do this every morning?”, Tony mutters, followed by an uttered curse when one of the beads slips from his fingers _again_.

“It really isn't that hard”, Loki replies, not even trying to keep from laughing. He does pick the bead up from the ground to give it back, though. “You always claim to be so deft with your hands, this should be an easy task for you.”

“I'm deft with machines and stuff, not with _hair._ ”

“It was you who suggested this”, Loki reminds him. “I have full faith in you.”

It's pure sarcasm, of course. Tony grumbles something in response, narrowing his eyes at the braid he's trying to make. Loki has explained how to do this, but the Jotun's hair is somehow refusing to give in to Tony's fingers, however deft they might be. Tony adores Loki's hair, of course – it's beautiful, it really is, but at the moment it's just driving him mad. He doesn't even know why he asked Loki to let him try this. Just to touch his hair, probably. Tony watches the prince doing his hair almost every day, and it's always sort of a fascinating sight. Loki's fingers are quick and skillful when it comes to braiding his hair, and it never takes him more than a few minutes.

Tony's been trying this for half an hour already now. Loki is kneeling next to their bed (nest), between Tony's spread legs, and unlike him, Loki seems to have the fun of his life. Probably because this gives him the perfect chance to tease Tony for his clumsiness. He's being an ass, like so often, and Tony loves him for it.

He really does.

It's been a month now. Tony spends every night in the small room Loki sleeps in. They can't see each other every day due to Tony's duties (and Steve, who's the only reason Tony at least pretends to care about said duties), but it's still glorious. Loki is the most amazing person Tony has ever known, hands down.

“Question”, Tony announces after a while, trying to distract himself from being defeated by _hair_ of all things. “Why do you have hair, anyway?”

“What kind of question is that?”

Tony just ignores the wry tone. “I just mean that I've seen, I don't know, only a handful of Jötnar with hair. The most are bald. Except the -” He breaks off and curses again as he looses hold of one of Loki's raven strands. “Except the children.”

Loki hums, inclining his head to give Tony better access to his hair. “There is a ceremony when a Jotun comes of age”, he explains. “The hair gets cut. Most Jötnar keep it that way, then, so it doesn't get in the way while hunting and fighting, but some grow it back.”

“Like you, then.”

“Hm?”

“You grew it back?”

A few seconds pass, and then Loki says, “Tony, I haven't had that ceremony yet.”

He sounds hesitant, almost confused and uncertain, and Tony's fingers stop moving. He only needs a split second until he gets what Loki is implying, and he doesn't quite know what to with that information.

“Oh”, he says in the end, which isn't all that reassuring for Loki, probably. Tony clears his throat and adds, “how – how old are you?”

“I will have my ceremony soon”, Loki answers. “I'm turning one thousand two hundred in just a few decades.”

Tony doesn't freak out just yet. “And how old do Jötnar get?”, he asks instead, proud that his voice doesn't even waver.

“About five thousand years.”

Tony doesn't need long to do the math, of course. And it's fine, he tells himself – Loki would be around twenty if he were a human, then, and that isn't half so bad. Twenty is okay. Fine, Tony would still be twice as old, but still. Just – god, he'd never expected Loki to be so _young_. By Jotun standards, anyway. Tony knew that Jötnar get much older that humans, of course, but he's never even thought about asking Loki about his age.

And yes, he may be young for a Jotun, but – _one thousand two hundred years._ Tony can't even imagine what it's like to live that long. It makes his brain short-circuit, somehow.

“Tony”, Loki says, sounding both amused and concerned. “Have I broken you?”

Tony gets pulled back into reality, and he hurries to shake his head, even though Loki can't see it from where he's still kneeling on the floor. “No”, he says, “no, I just – haven't thought about that before. How old you must be. But then you aren't _that_ old, are you? For a Jotun.”

“I am not a child, Tony.” Loki's tone is reassuring now, as if he senses that Tony's a bit dumbfounded. Which he probably does. “Far from it.”

“But you're not an adult, per se.”

“I am. You cannot compare your standards of age to ours, I think”, Loki replies, seeming more thoughtful than anything else now. “I'm not entirely familiar with the concepts humans have regarding this, though. I _am_ young, but old enough to not having to rely on my parents in any way. If I weren't a prince, I would be living on my own already.”

“And that ceremony -”

“Is just... a formal thing, you could say. Only then I will be allowed to come into my inheritance.”

“You mean – you'll be king, then?”

“If Laufey steps back and I want to take his place, yes.” Loki shrugged lightly. “Maybe I will leave it to Helblindi, when he is old enough. He would make a good king, and he isn't as likely to break any rules out of boredom as I.” He pauses briefly before he adds, “please don't worry about this now. Most Jötnar my age have long found their mates.”

“So I haven't -” Tony stops, feeling a bit ridiculous. “I don't know, defiled your reputation, or anything?”

Loki snorts at that. “No, Tony. You are not my first lover, either.”

“Okay”, Tony says, exhaling in mild relief.

“Are you sure?”, Loki pressed, apparently worried.

“Yes. Yes, it's fine. I trust you when you say it is.” His hands begin moving again, even though he doubts that he'll manage to do anything good with Loki's hair. “It's just unbelievable, for me. Over thousand years, that's a long fucking time. You've been around so much longer than me.”

“How old are you?”, Loki asks curiously.

“Forty three.”

“Oh”, Loki makes, echoing Tony's sound from earlier. It makes Tony laugh, but Loki doesn't join in. “A Jotun that age would still be a babe”, he muses instead, sounding oddly distant.

“Parents have to be really patient, huh.”

Tony has hoped to make Loki at least smirk with that, but nothing, only -

“How old do humans get?”

“About eighty years, I think. Depends on where you live and stuff. Having a hole in one's chest isn't really healthy, though, so I might have a bit less.”

Loki goes awfully still at that. At first, Tony doesn't quite understand, but it doesn't take long – and he curses himself inwardly, because he should've expected this reaction. Of course, if five thousand years are an unbelievably long time for Tony, eighty years must be frighteningly _short_ for Loki. Loki, who measures time in decades instead of merely years, who looks forward to millennia of life.

Tony has no idea what to say. He puts his hands on his lover's shoulders, squeezing. “Loki -”, he begins, not knowing what he wants to say, but Loki interrupts him.

“It hums, you know.”

Tony blinks. “What?”

“Your reactor. It sings, positively.” Loki shifts on his knees, leaning into Tony's touch. “I thought you were a mage because of that, not only because of your height. It _feels_ like magic. And you invented it.”

Tony waits, but Loki doesn't say anything else. They both stay silent, for a rather long time, until Tony swallows and speaks up again. “What are you thinking?”

“I think”, Loki says, turning his head so Tony can see his profile, “that less than eighty years are not long enough for someone like you. I have never thought about that before. How little time you have.”

Tony swallows. “Well, I – I can't really do anything about it.”

“I know.” Loki glances back at him, briefly, and he doesn't look as sad as Tony has feared. “I feel privileged, though. Deeply so. That you chose to spend some of your little time with me.”

Tony exhales and leans down, burying his face in Loki's hair. He closes his eyes and breathes in his lover's scent. He reminds himself that this is real and _good_ , no matter how long it lasts. “I love you”, he murmurs, and Loki doesn't even miss a beat.

“I love you, too”, he says, his hands coming up to touch Tony's own. They stay like this, a few moments, but then Loki lifts one of his hands further and feels his hair. His voice is still soft when he speaks. “You have no skill whatsoever for this, have you?”

Tony chuckles into Loki's hair, which does look like a mess.

 

The day Tony's been dreading for months comes in the end, of course.

He doesn't quite know what to do, what to say, but he's still on his way to Loki's room, which has become their room by now, every fibre of him aching to be with his lover. Even though he dreads this conversation, too.

Loki is sitting cross-legged on their bed when Tony enters, busy with carving runes into the blade of an apparently new dagger. He looks up and immediately smiles when he sees Tony, but that smile flickers out again very soon.

“What's wrong?”, Loki asks, eyes searching Tony's face and scanning his body, almost as if he's looking for injuries.

Tony swallows thickly and approaches the Jotun, but doesn't manage to sit down next to him. “I talked to Steve.”

One of Loki's brows quirks upward. “You do that every day.”

“Yeah. It's just -” Tony inhales. “Seems that the negotiations and everything are done. We're leaving.”

Loki's face goes blank, but otherwise he doesn't react, at least not for a while. He just stares at Tony, the dagger still in his hands and an unreadable look in his eyes. “When?”, he asks eventually, his voice unusually quiet.

“In two days.”

Tony doesn't say that he tried to prolong it, that he's been prolonging it for _weeks_ already. He doesn't say that Steve tried to help with that – because he knows, of course he knows, even though Tony hasn't told him a word about Loki – and that there's simply nothing either of them can do. Tony knew that he can't stay on Jotunheim forever, that there are a million things waiting for him at home. He hasn't _planned_ on staying forever, he always had in mind that their time is limited. And Loki knew that, too.

“You could come back”, Loki says, not quite meeting Tony's eyes. “There is a human embassy on Jotunheim now. Humans will be needed there.”

“I'm not – I don't think they'll let me.”

“No”, Loki agrees quietly, “no, I don't think that, either.”

Tony grits his teeth, knowing perfectly well that that's his fault. He's been a shitty ambassador all these months, spending more time with Loki than with politics, and when he did appear at meetings he didn't even pay attention. He'll be the last choice when it comes to deciding who should run the embassy here.

“I'll find another way to return”, Tony says, trying to sound lighthearted. “I'll build my own Bifrost if I have to. Or I – I could stay, a while longer. Wait until the next humans visit, and return with them. It'll be a few years, but -”

“Tony”, Loki interrupts him, hands reaching out for him. “Come here.”

Tony obeys before he can even think about it, joining Loki on the bed and wrapping his arms around his lover. Loki sighs and rests his chin on Tony's shoulder, casting his warmth spell while he does it. Tony pulls him close, his hands resting on Loki's bare back, and tries to avoid Loki's horns as he buries his face in Loki's hair.

“I know that you would be happy to go home”, Loki says, “if it weren't for me. You miss Earth.”

“I do, but -”

“No. You miss it, and you will go back. I cannot keep you here, no matter how much I want to. You do not belong here.”

“You have no right to be so calm about this”, Tony mutters into Loki's hair. “I'm freaking out here.”

“You don't have to”, Loki says, and Tony can hear the smile in his voice. “I have no intention to never see you again.”

Tony lifts his head to meet Loki's eyes. His lover returns his gaze calmly, but Tony can tell that he isn't unaffected by this. Of course he isn't. Tony can see the sadness now, and it's almost overwhelming, but there is also a hint of determination that has Tony wondering.

“What are you planning?”, he asks, and one corner of Loki's mouth quirks up into a small smile.

“Nothing, as yet.” Loki touches his forehead to Tony's. “But I will find you again, if you let me.”

For a moment, Tony just stares at the Jotun. He gets what Loki is implying, but he isn't sure what to think about it. “Loki”, he says quietly, his hands positively digging into Loki's slim waist by now, “Loki, you can't – you can't just -”

“Leave Jotunheim?”, Loki finishes his sentence, raising a brow. “Why not?”

Tony swallows and shakes his head, barely bringing the words over his lips. “There's nothing I could give you”, he tells his lover, tone low but urgent. “Not for long, anyway. You'd be rid of me in a few decades. You shouldn't -”

Loki's hand closes over his mouth, cutting him off. He looks as serious as Tony has barely seen him. “I would gladly spend an eternity with you, Anthony Edward Stark”, he says – _vows_ , maybe. “And since that is not possible, I would stay at your side for those decades and still think of you in four thousand years.” He cups Tony's face, not allowing him to look away. “I would, if you let me.”

“You're needed here”, Tony says weakly, thinking of the many times he's seen Loki play with his younger siblings or talk to his parents, who are so obviously planning for him to be king one day. And Loki would be a good king, would be brilliant, because he has a hand for politics even though it bores him, and he loves his people and his planet, and he can't just - “You can't give this up, not for me.”

“Who said something about giving anything up?”, Loki counters, smirking. “I am speaking of finding ways to visit you, Tony, not of leaving Jotunheim for good. It would take some planning, of course, and you would have to wait for me a little – but we would see each other again. If you do not want that, we -”

“Of _course_ I want that”, Tony interrupts him.

Loki actually lets out a relieved breath, closing his eyes and nuzzling Tony's cheek. “Good”, he all but purrs. “This still means goodbye, though. For quite some time.”

“I know”, Tony says, holding onto him tighter. Somehow the sudden hope that they'll see each other again doesn't make this easier. It's better than nothing, though. “I know.”

 

They say goodbye in silence.

They spend a whole day in their small room, hiding in the furs. They don't say a word, except for the muttered nonsense that slips their lips when they're losing themselves in each other. Tony greedily drinks in every sound Loki makes, and Loki does the same. They look at each other for hours. Tony gives his very best to memorize the pattern of the lines on Loki's body. Loki keeps burying his face in Tony's neck, and Tony knows that he does that to remember his scent. They both cry a little, Tony thinks, and their touches border on desperate and frantic often enough. But that's fine, it's all fine, as long as Tony can feel Loki's hands on his body a little while longer.

Loki has to renew the warmth spell every half an hour because they touch so much.

It's not enough.

 

They return to New York in the beginning of summer.

The temperatures are definitely nicer, and it's good to have all the conveniences of living in the tower back. But now a year has passed, and being back is still surreal. Tony has gotten used to low ceilings and a bed made of furs, and to red eyes and blue skin being the first thing he sees in the mornings.

A big part of him still wishes that he never left.

People notice that something's not quite right, he thinks. At least he is sure that Pepper does, and Bruce as well, maybe. Tony hasn't told anyone about Loki, and he doesn't intend to. Steve is the only one who knows, even though they never spoke about it. Tony spends the most of his time working, distracting himself.

He still thinks about Loki. All the time. Wondering what he's up to at this very moment, all those light years away. If he really meant what he said, and is trying to find Tony again. Tony's trying himself, of course – but building his own Bifrost is about as difficult as it sounds, and he believes he'd need magic for that. Asgard won't let him use their Rainbow Road, and all those other pathways between the realms aren't safe enough for a mere human. He has no idea what Loki was planning. If he just intends to slip through space and time one day; because using the Bifrost is even more impossible for him than for Tony, given the fact that the Asgardians still don't like the Jötnar. Tony has to trust him, though. There's nothing he can do other than staying where Loki can find him.

And so he waits.

He listens for messages from Jotunheim, waits for the news that _have_ to come one day. No humans get send over there for this whole year, because of some negotiating problems. At least that's what Steve says. Tony can't shake off the feeling that _his_ Jotun has something to do with that.

It's autumn again when Steve calls him. He's smiling as he tells Tony about the embassy that the Jötnar want to establish in New York, and before Tony knows it, he's grinning back.

 

The Jötnar arrive in the middle of winter, just a few days after Christmas. Loki isn't among them.

 

That evening, Tony steps out of the elevator into his penthouse, unsure whether he should head to his workshop, the bar or directly to bed.

He hates this – hates that he had such high hopes, only to having them crushed. Yes, it was nice, seeing a few of the Jötnar again. Helblindi was there, and Tony gets along quite well with him. He didn't manage to ask about Loki, who simply -

Who simply didn't come, even though he said he would.

In the end, Tony finds himself going to his bedroom to change. He's been wearing one of his nicest suits the whole day, and he just wants to get out of it. In a t-shirt and sweatpants, he makes his way to his living room. He doesn't make it to the bar, though, because he stops in the entryway as soon as he realizes that he isn't alone.

His mood sinks even lower. If this is some newcomer villain who wants to take it up with Iron Man, they have the worst timing possible. Tony isn't in the mood to fight, but he's still alarmed – JARVIS should have warned him as soon as someone entered his penthouse without his permission or knowledge. That the AI didn't can't possibly be a good sign.

“I don't want to come across as predictable or anything, but who the hell are you and what are you doing here?”

The tall man who's standing in front of Tony's off TV turns around, and the first thing he notices is that the stranger is holding the remote in his hands. That seems a bit strange, but he doesn't think about that for very long. He stares at the man, at the black hair and pale skin and almost too green eyes, and Tony gets the weird feeling that he isn't a stranger at all. Then, the man grins, showing white teeth, his eyes sparkling.

And Tony would recognize that grin anywhere.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr :)](https://amidnight--dreary.tumblr.com/)


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